Finding my Peices
by Whispatchet
Summary: [Chaper 5 up]Rokusho is changing, but why? R&R and enjoy!
1. This is who I am

My name is Rokusho. I am a Medabot. But I am not the Medabot I used to be. I have changed.

A friend of mine once said to me, _"You've changed for the better! You've been given such great powers!"_

"_I don't have powers."_ I told him. _"I have only puzzles, each with a single piece missing."_

I am still searching for those pieces.

The changes in me happened not long ago.

I was exploring an old ruin, a dilapidated relic from my past. I was hoping to find some answers, to find the pieces I was already missing.

During my investigation, I found a small green stone. As I picked it up, I felt a strange surge of power run through me.

I don't know why, but I felt compelled to keep the stone.

That night, when I slept, I dreamed, unusual as it was for Medabot to do such a thing.

It was indeed, a strange dream.

In my dream, there was only me, standing in a black room, a black void of nothingness. For a long time, I just stood there, in the nothingness. But then, someone else came into the darkness. It surprised me who it was.

It was me.

A different me, but me all the same.  
This me had green optics, where I have red. This me had black and silver armor, while I have white and purple.

This me was different, But still the same… still me.

"Hello." The other me said. "It's nice to meet you at last."

"You've been waiting for me?" I asked in slight surprise.

"For many years." The other me replied.

"Why?"

The other me moved closer. "I was created to protect you Rokusho. If anything were to happen to Professor Hushi."

The name of my old friend made me freeze.  
The other me reached over and patted me on the shoulder comfortingly.

"I know." He said. "I know everything. There is nothing that you know that I don't."

I didn't say anything.

The other me nodded.

"The sun is beginning to rise. You need to wake up now. But we are together. Wherever you go, I will protect you, and lend you my strength."

My dream faded before me, and I woke up. The sun was indeed rising, and was slowly moving up in the sky.

Swinging my legs to the side, I sat on my branch in my tree, and watched the sun rise.

* * *

You like? The other chapters won't be in first person format. They'll all be third person. This intro chapter just needed to be from Rokusho's POV. Chapter three coming up! Bai!


	2. Entry Form

Rokusho looked over the park as he sat in his tree, letting the rising sun bounce of his metallic skin. The area was still empty, except for a few birds and squirrels.

The Medabot descended from the tree and walked out of the park.

* * *

Rokusho's gaze was fixed ahead of him as he walked though the streets of the slowly awakening city.

Just ahead of him, the Hop-Mart sign glowed though the dimness of the morning.

As he passed the store, the door opened, and a tall, dark-haired human stepped out.

"Well, well. Who do we have here?" He said, leaning on the doorframe.

Rokusho ignored the comment and continued walking.

"You seem different this morning, Rokusho."

Rokusho froze upon hearing his name. He turned around and looked up at the human.

"Oh. It's you." He said in a monotone.

Henry smiled. "It is indeed. So, how are you today?"

Rokusho was surprised by the perfectly normal question. "What do you mean?" He asked.

Henry frowned. "Like I said, you seem different today. Perhaps… a different aura?"

Rokusho looked up at the human strangely. He did feel different. But how…?

Henry shrugged. "Well, whatever."

He took a step back and pulled a piece of paper of the counter inside the shop.

"Here." He said as he thrust the paper into Rokusho's face with a proud flurry.

Rokusho took it and looked at it with curious interest. "What's this?" he asked.

Henry's eyes flashed. "It's an entry form." He said, his voice dark and mischievous for a slight moment. "For the Medabot Contest being held in a few days. I want you to enter."

It took Rokusho a moment to realise what Henry has said.

"What!" Was his response.

"I… want… you… to… enter." Henry repeated, speaking slowly as if talking to a very small child.

"Why?"

Henry chuckled. "Why not? It's a good chance to test your skills and improve. Knowing you, you haven't done any training or anything since…" Henry trailed off, and averted his eyes.

Rokusho growled quietly. He knew to what the human was referring. He had almost gotten used to people avoiding talking about Professor Hushi around him… almost.

"Any way," Henry said, attempting to change the subject. "Entry is free, and its open till the end of the day. So, just fill that out by this afternoon, and bring it back to me." He said, handing the Medabot a pencil.

* * *

Later that day, Rokusho sat in the park, staring at the form Henry had given him. He was seriously considering entering.

_/Go on…/_ A voice in his head said quietly. _/What harm could it do/_

Rokusho looked around, but there was no one. He sighed and leant back in his chair with his optics closed.

_'I'm losing my mind.'_ He thought.

Opening his optics again, the KWG Medabot looked down at the entry form in his hands.

_'What harm could it do…'_ He thought as he brought pencil to paper.

Henry looked out the Hop-Mart front window as a figure walked away. Smiling to himself, he picked up the piece of paper that had been placed on the front counter.

"Name:…" He read. "Rokusho Hushi…"

* * *

Heh. You know what's funny? I said in the last chapter that I would post chapter three next. Lol. I got distracted and wrote three rather than two. Oh well. chapter three comes after this one... I am sure of it


	3. The First Event

"Welcome Medabot fans, to the Medabot Contest! A special event held only every four years!"

The announcer's voice was so loud it could be heard outside the stadium, even over the rabble of the crowd.

Rokusho stood outside the stadium, waiting for his guide to appear. He didn't have to wait long before a person stepped out of the shadows.

"Have you been here long?" He asked.

Rokusho glanced around for any anyone who could be watching, before turning around.

"You'll get yourself arrested if you dress like that." The Medabot said flatly.

The Phantom Renegade grinned behind his mask.

"I haven't been caught yet have I?" He asked with a snicker.

Rokusho sighed. "What do I do now I'm at this thing?" He asked.

"You go into the stadium for starters. Find the administration desk and give them this," He handed Rokusho a slip of paper. "They'll put you down as having turned up, and then you just hang around till the events start. You'll be able to see where they've placed you on the screens. They'll give you instructions from then on."

Rokusho looked at the piece of paper in his hand before looking up at the bizarre human.

"Why did you want me to enter, really?" He asked.

The Phantom Renegade snickered. "Perhaps I'll tell you after the contest." And with that, the masked human was gone.

Shaking his head at the strange human's behaviour, Rokusho turned and walked into the stadium.

Inside the stadium was more crowded than outside. Medabots and their owners bustled about, a deafening chatter filling the air. Slowly, Rokusho pushed through the crowd, and managed to find the Administration desk.

"Hello." The golden-haired girl sitting behind the desk said politely. She looked around before looking back at Rokusho with a slightly worried look on her face. "Um, where's your Medafighter?" She asked.

Rokusho flinched. He knew she was going to ask that. Keeping himself calm, he slammed the piece of paper The Phantom had given him on the tabletop.

The girl jumped in surprise, and took the paper and quickly read it.

"Well, you've filled in an entry form… so I guess there's no problem." She said, typing on her keyboard.

"Alright. You're registered now. You've been put into Stage A. Could you please step over here?" She asked, gesturing to a small cleared area beside her.

"Why?"

"We need to check your parts." The girl explained. "Only certain types are allowed for the contest, to prevent unfair advantages. Parts with special skills and attributes aren't allowed, only standard parts."

"Fair enough…" Rokusho mumbled as he stepped into the space the girl had specified.

"Righto. Hold still while the computer scans your parts."

A blue light shot out of the girl's computer, and ran itself over Rokusho's entire frame, taking in all the data.

Rokusho saw the girl's eyes go wide as she looked at her screen.

"Is something wrong?" He asked her.

The girl looked up with an expression of awe on her face. "Oh, no, everything's fine. Your parts fall into the allowed categories. Watch the screen for information on the first event."

"Thankyou." Rokusho muttered as he made haste to get away from the girl as fast as he could.

The girl stared after him. "So that's the Medabot Henry told me about…" She whispered to herself.

For the next ten minutes or so, Rokusho was content to watch the other competitors in the area. He discovered that quite a lot of Medafighters didn't realise about the restrictions on Medaparts. He thought it was quite amusing to watch the people at the Administration Desk make people put their medals in dull and boring bodies because the ones they came in were no good.

"What are you doing here?" Asked a familiar voice from behind him.

He spun around, and saw the source of the voice.

"Oh, hello." Rokusho replied.

"Is that all you can say? Hello?" The yellow Medabot huffed.

"Metabee, can you go five minutes without being a jerk to someone?" A boy asked, stepping behind his Medabot.

"I am not a jerk!" Metabee yelled throwing his arms into the air.

Ikki giggled. "Careful Metabee, or you'll wear yourself out before the contest even starts."

Metabee grumbled and folded his arms across his chest.

"It's no surprise that you two are in this contest." Rokusho said flatly.

Ikki looked at Rokusho curiously.

"What about you? Did you come to watch?" He asked.

Rokusho shook his head. "I'm competing."

Ikki and Metabee stared.

"What?" Metabee said finally.

"I'm competing. I'm part of this."

Ikki and Metabee looked at each other with wide eyes.

"You have a problem with that?"

"Oh no, no, no!" Ikki cried, both he and his Medabot putting their hands in front of them selves defensively. "We just didn't think you were the type to enter this sort of thing."

"I saw no harm in entering."

Ikki was about to say something, when a chime echoed through the stadium, followed by an announcement.

"Ladies, Gentlemen and Medabots, welcome to Meda-Stadium! The first event is about to begin! Will all Medafighters and non-participating Medabots please leave the lower arena and take your seats in the stands. All participating Medabots please congregate near the Administration desk! I would also like to announce that registration is now closed! I repeat, registration is now closed! If you haven't registered yet, I'm afraid it's too late!"

Ikki waved to Metabee as he went to sit in the stands to watch.

Rokusho looked up at the still filling stands with interest as he noticed a large section of the stands was vacant.

"Why is no one sitting there?" He asked, turning his head to look at Metabee.

Metabee shrugged. "Maybe those seats are reserved for the Medabots in the second Stage?"

"Are you in Stage A too?"

"Yep."

Rokusho looked up at the stands again. "They can't be reserved seats. There are reserved seats along the front there. Those seats must have something to do with the first event."

"What, they're gunna see who can sit still the longest?"

Rokusho almost laughed.

Just then, a human appeared on the raised platform underneath the large screen and an image of his face flicked onto the screen.

"Ladies, Gentlemen and Medabots alike, welcome to the Medabot Contest!"

The people in the stands burst into cheers and applause.

Grinning, the human put his microphone to his mouth once again. " It's been four years, and now, at last, the Contest is here again! Now let's hear it for our contestants!"

The stands erupted into cheers. Many of the Medabots started to wave at the people in the stands.

"Now, for those who've never seen a Medabot Contest before, this is how the system works."

The picture on the screen behind the announcer changed to a diagram of the scoring system.

"The contest is split into two Stages." The announcer said. "Medabots in both Stages will compete in the same events over the next few days, and our many wonderful contestants will be narrowed down to two Stage Champions! Then, on the final day, the Gold Winner is decided in the traditional way, with the Stage Champions in a Robattle!"

The audience started cheering again.

"Today's event is called, 'The Big Dash'!"

Before the crowd had a chance to cheer, the empty section of the stands split down the middle and began to slide out of sight, creating a big hole in the stadium, through which a wide and very long racetrack could be seen. Some of the Medabots in the centre of the stadium had to jump out of the way as parts of the floor below them opened up, and things rose up. Within a matter of seconds, the end of the racetrack was sticking into the stadium, with a big banner over it saying FINISH in big bold letters. After getting over their surprise, the audience started cheering once again.

"The Stage A Medabots will be the first to compete on 'The Big Dash' racetrack." The announcer's magnified voice said over the roar of the crowd. "Our contestants will be taken to the other end of the racetrack, and will race to this end. Only the first fifteen to cross the finish line will be progressing to the next round! Could all Stage B Medabots please move from the lower arena to the reserved seats along the front there?"

"Told you." Rokusho muttered, looking at Metabee.

Metabee snickered.

"Before we start the event, let's meet the Stage A Competitors!"

The crowed cheered as the Stage B Medabots left the lower arena and the screen went blank.

The announcer started running off the names of each of the 50 Medabots in the first Stage. As he called out each name, a picture of the Medabot in question appeared on the screen. Soon, there were only three Medabots who had not been mentioned.

"… Cyandog, a dog type Medabot with a Monkey Medal! Will this strange combination give him an edge?"

"Oh great." Metabee moaned, putting a hand over his optics. "I'm embarrassed to be in the same Stage as that loser."

"KBT type and crowd favourite, Metabee has the popularity advantage!"

Metabee laughed and put his arms in the air almost victoriously as the crowd began to cheer for him.

"And the last Medabot in this Stage is the enigmatic Rokusho!"

The audience cheered, but Rokusho could tell that it was polite cheer, not sincere cheering.

"Now you've met them all, let's start the event!"

The audience cheered some more as several vehicles which looked like stretch limo golf cars, drove into the stadium and let the Medabots in before shooting off towards the start of the race.

Rokusho and Metabee sat at the back of the car they were in, and looked back at the stadium.

"That's a long run…" Metabee muttered.

"Looks to be about twice as long as a regular human racetrack…" Rokusho agreed.

Back in the stadium, the image on the screen changed to an overhead shot of the Medabots getting ready for the race.

"Now remember folks, no Medabot has an advantage here." The announcer said. "Each Medabot has been checked and rechecked for specialty parts and parts with other advantages. As I speak, our staff at the starting line are checking our Competitors one final time before the Event starts. If you direct your attention to the main view screen, you will be looking at live feed from our Botafly Camera."

Then the image changed from an overhead view to a side view.

"And that's our ground level camera, handled by a speedy Whitesword!"

The screen then showed a picture of the finish line from the side.

"And that's our last camera, the high speed camera at the finish, taken care of by Dr. Bokchoy down there."

The Medabot with the camera at the finish line waved up at the crowd before putting all his attention on the camera.

"And now, let the race begin!"

The image on the screen changed to the start line again and the crowd burst into applause.

"Alright, everyone get ready to start!" One of the staff at the start line said, making the Medabots scurry to get into place.

Metabee ended up in the lane to Rokusho's right, and Cyandog pushed three other Medabots out of the way to get on his left.

"On your mark,"

"Good luck Rokusho." Metabee said quickly, looking at the Medabot beside him.

"Get set,"

"You too." Rokusho replied.

BANG!

"And they're off!" The announcer shouted as the Medabots took off down the track.

"Of the mark, it's Metabee in the lead, with Rokusho not far behind, and Cyandog in third!"

Metabee laughed as he ran.

"This is too easy! Those stadium bots must be recall models!" He laughed.

Rokusho put on a spurt of speed and came up beside the arrogant Medabot.

"You do know you and I are probably the oldest Medabots here." He said, running directly beside Metabee.

"You maybe!" Cyandog shouted from behind them, reaching forward and grabbing the back of Rokusho's cloak and pulled him down.

"Oh! Rokusho's down!" The announcer cried. "That almost looked like foul play there!"

Rokusho pulled himself off the ground and looked down the track. Every other Medabot had passed him when he'd been knocked down, and they were getting further and further away. Clenching his fists, Rokusho took up the chase, desperately trying to catch up to the rest of the group.

"Rokusho's up and running again! Literally! But he's got his work cut out for him if he wants to catch up to the others!"

'This is ridiculous!' Rokusho thought to himself as he sprinted down the track, slowly catching up to the Medabots at the back of the pack. 'I didn't even want too enter this stupid thing, and now I'm going to make a fool of myself by coming last!'

"That's just so annoying!" He shouted.

Suddenly a strange feeling shot through his body.

_/I'll take it from here/ _Echoed a voice in his head.

"Oh!" The announcer looked up at the screen in surprise. "What the heck is that?"

A large dust cloud had kicked up in the wake of something moving very fast at the back of the pack.

"Wait a sec," The announcer said, looking into a smaller screen near him. "Whatever it is, it's pulling some major speed!"

Some of the Medabots at the back of the main group looked behind them to see what was going on, only to come face to face with a very ominous looking back Medabot as it shot past them. A couple of Medabots got knocked over by the sonic boom created by the black Medabot's speed.

Having dropped to second, Metabee was fuming.

"You're a cheater 'Dog!" He yelled at the blue Medabot in front of him. "A big fat cheater!"

Cyandog just laughed. "Tell someone who cares!"

Before Metabee could retort, he was almost blown over by something as it passed him and Cyandog as they were entering the stadium.

"And it's over!" The announcer shouted into the microphone, jumping up and down, acting like a total fan boy. "What a finish! What a finish!"

The crowd was hysterical; everyone was on their feet, screaming cheers to the Medabots below.

As Metabee crossed the finish line, Rokusho, who was standing a short distance away from the finish line, slumped to the ground, panting heavily.

Slowly, Metabee walked over and stood next to him, leaning down, resting his hands on his knees.

"Man… that was… nuts!" he said, just as exhausted as Rokusho was.

Rokusho looked up at the yellow Medabot curiously as he dropped to the ground beside him.

"That was INCREDIBLE!" The announcer shouted. "The results are in, and we will now see who goes on to round two!"

The announcer started reading out the results of the race, starting from who came in last and moving forward. Some people in the stands shouted out negatively when their Medabot was listed as one of those that didn't progress.

"… Third place goes to Cyandog!"

Rokusho and Metabee heard the dog type Medabot give a deranged laugh, putting his fists on his hips, feeling very proud of himself.

"Second was crowd favourite, Metabee!"

Metabee half-heartedly waved to the crowd, still exhausted.

"And in first place, with an unbelievable finish, was Rokusho!"

The audience exploded.

"Lets have a look at the clip!" The announcer said as the screen behind him flicked to life.

Everyone, including Rokusho, watched the screen intently. There were several gasps of surprise as what looked like a black and silver version of Rokusho shot across the screen, slowed down by the camera.

Rokusho looked up at the people and Medabots in the stands. A whole group, who were apparently supporters of a few of the Medabots that had fallen and not placed high enough to progress, were booing and complaining loudly. One of them had even gotten over to where the announcer was, and was complaining to him.

"Can't they just accept that you won and get over it already?" Metabee huffed, leaning back.

Rokusho didn't say anything. He was too busy staring at the frozen image that had been put up on the screen.

'I don't understand…' He thought, looking over himself before looking up at the screen again. 'Why do I… '

"Ladies and Gentlemen!"

Rokusho's thoughts were interrupted as the announcer started talking into the microphone again.

"Let's hear it for our winners!"

There were a few more shouts of disagreement, but they died down as the person who had been complaining to the announcer was dragged away by a pair of burly security guards.

Metabee laughed. "Take that!"

Rokusho sighed and looked up at the picture on the screen one more time. Tomorrow was round two.

* * *

A/N: Well that was chapter three! I am sorry that I haven't updated in so long... I kinda lost intrest, then got it again, then lost internet access, then intrest again, then got them both back at the same time. Ah well.


	4. I Might Have To

"Hey!"

Rokusho ignored the Medabot behind him. He wanted to get away from everything right now.

"Hey! Will you stop already?" Metabee was loosing his patience. "Look, I just wanna talk to you! That's all!"

Metabee grabbed the back of Rokusho's cloak and held firm. The white Medabot tried to pull away, but quickly realised that he wasn't going anywhere.

"Are you going to listen to me now?" Metabee huffed. "Honestly! It's like you don't want any friends!"

Rokusho slumped his shoulders.

"Now come on." Metabee said, putting a comforting hand on Rokusho's shoulder and pushing him forward. "Let's go somewhere to talk. In case you haven't noticed, everyone is staring at you."

Rokusho blinked in surprise and looked around. Everyone in the area, both humans and Medabots, gasped and looked away, going back to what they were doing.

Before he could say anything, Metabee grabbed his wrist, and started to lead him away.

- - -

Metabee dropped to the grass with a sigh. He had dragged Rokusho to an isolated corner of a small park.

Rokusho looked down at Metabee curiously. His behaviour confused him.

"Well don't just stand there." Metabee said in an unusual tone, looking up at the KWG type Medabot. "Sit. I'm not gunna hurt ya."

Rokusho hesitated, but sat down next to Metabee and stared off into the distance.

"What's wrong?" Metabee asked. "You seem more distracted than usual."

Rokusho stayed silent.

"Is it the contest? Is that's what's bugging you?"

Rokusho shook his head.

"Well, what then?"

"It's not your problem."

"I'm making it my problem!" Metabee huffed. "Come on Rokusho, I'm trying to help you out here."

"Well, well. There's something you don't see every day." Someone said, making the Medabots look up. "Metabee not being selfish. Miracles do happen."

Metabee growled and sprung to his feet. "What was that?"

Henry laughed. "Calm down. I'm not here to tease you."

"Then why are you here?" Rokusho queried, his voice dark.

"Why, to see my big winner, of course."

"'Your big winner'?" Rokusho and Metabee repeated.

"Well, yeah. I sponsored Rokusho's entry in the contest; posed as his Medafighter if you will. That makes him 'my winner'." Henry explained, feeling very proud of himself.

"I don't belong to you." Rokusho hissed.

Henry blinked in surprise. Rokusho's colours seemed to be getting darker. Henry glanced at the sky, but Rokusho's change in colouration wasn't because of shadows from the clouds; there were none.

"Interesting…" He muttered.

"What's interesting?" Metabee asked, putting his hands on his hips and leaning forward slightly.

Henry looked down at the Medabots. Rokusho's colours had gone back to normal. "It's nothing. Don't worry about it. What you should worry about is the second event tomorrow. Are you prepared?"

"What is the next event?" Metabee asked.

"Dunno. The events are rearranged every time, but it's either 'Meda-Mover', Paintball' or 'The Meda-Maze', that's all there is left."

"Well, the names don't give away much." Metabee huffed.

"Nah, not really."

"Metabee! Time to go home!" Someone called from across the park.

Metabee looked over, and saw Ikki waving at the entrance.

Metabee waved back, and turned around to face Rokusho, who was still sitting in the grass.

"See ya tomorrow." He said, before running off towards his Medafighter.

"I thought he'd never leave." Henry sighed, sitting down next to Rokusho.

"What do you want?" Rokusho asked, glaring at the human beside him.

"First, to congratulate you on your first-place finish in the first event." Henry said, smiling at Rokusho.

"I don't feel like being congratulated." The Medabot said dully.

"Is it because of what happened at the event?"

Rokusho looked at Henry with surprise.

"Don't look so surprised. I was there, and not the only one to notice what happened to you during that race. You changed, and you almost changed again, just now."

"I… did?"

Henry nodded. "Dr. Aki saw what happened at the race as well. He asked me to talk to you about it."

Rokusho looked down at his hands as they sat in his lap. "I don't know what happened." He said quietly. "I remember falling over…"

"You mean being knocked down."

Rokusho looked up at Henry.

"Cyandog pulled you down in order to get a better place. He didn't get disqualified for it because a majority of the judges didn't see him do it. Even after reviewing the tapes countless times, most of them couldn't see him grab this," Henry paused and grabbed a corner of Rokusho's cloak. "… and pull you down."

"I see…"

"What else do you remember about the race?" Henry asked, letting go of Rokusho's cloak.

"…I got up and tried to catch up to the others… then…!" Rokusho cut off as he remembered the strange tingly feeling that shot through him during the race.

"Then…?" Henry urged.

"…Then… everything went black… next thing I knew, I was across the finish line…"

Henry was quiet for a few moments. "This really is bizarre… You're obviously tapping some new power source, but as to what kind, I have no idea…"

"So you can't tell me how to stop it?"

"I can't see why you'd want to." Henry said. "You've been given such fantastic powers! It's a change for the better!"

Rokusho frowned and stood up.

"They're not powers. They're just more puzzles for me to solve… puzzles I must find missing pieces for." He said quietly as he started to walk away.

"Rokusho," Henry said, standing up.

Rokusho paused.

"How long are you going to keep searching?" Henry asked.

Rokusho turned his head to look at the human behind him. "It may be forever." He said quietly.

"Can you wait that long?"

Rokusho looked up at the sky. "I might have to."

* * *

A/N: Okay, so it's a little shorter, but it's the Contest that we're really interested in right? Right. Chappies with events in 'em are always pretty long, so a short one every now and then is okay isn't it? Heh heh.


	5. Konichiwa Akuma Kurai

When Rokusho entered the stadium the next day, the air was vibrating with a hundred people talking and laughing. He could see the reserved section had gotten smaller; obviously those who had been eliminated were forced to buy a seat as a spectator.

There was no indication in the lower arena of what the second event was going to be, but several Medabots, all of whom were in The Veterans Club, were placing bets.

"Hey new guy!" One of The Veterans called as Rokusho walked past.

Rokusho glanced over.

"You put on a pretty good show in the race the other day. Do you intend to go all the way?" He asked, his voice deep and hearty.

"My intentions are none of your concern." Rokusho replied in a dull voice.

The Veterans' attitudes dropped; suddenly they weren't so cheerful.

"Let me give you a piece of advice kid." One of them said darkly. "I've competed in this contest since it started. I have experience. And trust me when I say this; if you don't show a bit of respect to those with experience, you won't last long here."

"Chief's right!" One of the others said, stepping up to have his say. "The Veterans rule this contest! There hasn't been a year that there wasn't a member of the club standing at the top of the winners podium!"

Rokusho glared at the Veterans Club members viciously. "I have no interest in your history." He said, not noticing the tingle that shot up the back of his tinpet. "Wether you like it or not, when all is said and done, I shall be the only one left standing."

"What!"

"Why you…!"

Several of the Veterans members dashed forward. Rokusho was unperturbed by their advance, not even flinching as they attacked him.

Before the Veterans' attacks made contact, their target vanished. They desperately looked around, trying to find the Medabot who had insulted their club. A noise from behind them stole their attention, and they spun around, only to gasp at what they saw.

Rokusho was standing behind the Leader of the club, sword at his throat.

"Chief!" One of the members cried.

"So you are in charge? Even better. If I hear so much as another whisper out of any of your club, the humans will be picking up your pieces with a very small magnet." He hissed, in a voice much unlike his usual. "Have I made myself clear?"

"Transparent." Chief agreed hastily, before he was released and fell to the ground. The other members of the club rushed over to help their leader up. He shooed them away, and looked at Rokusho, who was walking briskly in the opposite direction. Chief saw him pause for a moment and look around, like he was confused. Chief stood up and watched as the strange Medabot disappeared into the crowd.

"We might have to watch him carefully guys." He said, turning to his friends. "There's more to him than meets the eye."

- - -

"Hey! There you are!"

Metabee and Ikki waved as they walked towards Rokusho.

"Hello." Rokusho replied, nodding politely in their direction.

"So which event do you think it'll be today?" Metabee asked.

"Not sure." Rokusho said, looking around. "There doesn't seem to be any clue in the layout of the stadium. But the section of seats that was empty the other day is open to spectators today, so one can presume that it does not require us to leave the stadium."

"Not through there anyway."

A familiar chime ran through the stadium.

"Ladies, Gentlemen and Medabots, Welcome again to the Meda-Stadium! Today is the second Event! Could all Medafighters, non-participating Medabots and Medabots in Stage B please leave the lower arena and take your seats? The next event is about to begin!" The announcer's voice echoed over the noise in the stadium.

"Well, that's my cue!" Ikki said, looking down at his Medabot. "Good luck you two!"

Ikki waved as he disappeared.

Metabee waved after Ikki, and looked over at Rokusho. "How you doin' today?"

Rokusho didn't answer.

"Well fine. If you want to be that way." Metabee huffed crossing his arms.

Rokusho smiled to himself.

After a few minutes of the staff ushering people out of where they shouldn't be, the announcer brought the microphone to his mouth.

"Well, everyone, now it's time for the second event!" He said, pausing as the crowd burst into cheers. "Like in the first event, we shall be starting with the Stage A competitors! Lets recap on who we have left!"

The screen behind the announcer flicked to life, and displayed pictures of the remaining Stage A Medabots as the announcer talked.

"… From the Veterans club, Greed, and Chief! These two Contest frequents sure had to work hard to stay in the game this year!"

Metabee looked over at the two Medabots in question, only to find that they were staring at the Medabot beside him. He looked at Rokusho to question him, and saw his optics flash dark green. Although curious, he decided it might be best to stay quiet… for now.

"And who can forget our top three placers in the first event, Cyandog, Metabee and Rokusho!"

The crowd erupted into cheers. Metabee looked at Rokusho and laughed. "Listen to that!" He said. "They really love us!"

Rokusho looked up at the stands. _'Do they?'_ He thought.

He didn't have time to continue pondering the situation.

"Today's event always strikes as a favourite amongst both Competitors and spectators alike, the always challenging, ever changing event called, 'Meda-Maze'!"

One of the Veterans Club Medabots in the stands punched the air in victory. "Yes!" He shouted. "Greed! You owe me two parts!"

"Well it seems like there were some bets on!" The announcer laughed. "Always a fun way to add to the game! Now let's get started! Stage A Medabots, stand back."

The Veterans and a few of the other Medabots dashed to the edges of the arena, but a small handful of Medabots who didn't know what to expect, weren't as quick to get out of the way, and got quite a surprise as the floor opened up, revealing what was underneath; a giant maze, which ran deep into the ground, and spread even past the edges of the arena, even though there was a thin strip of floor around the edge.

"This event," The announcer said. "It the most elaborate event this contest can throw. Contestants will have to use not only their wits, but also their survival skills to get out! According to Meda-Maze rules, Medabots can choose to fight each other if they meet in the Maze. And of course, the Maze is littered with all sorts of traps and obstacles that the Medabots have to overcome."

As the crowd began to cheer, a flock of Botafly Medabots poured out of the Maze, and floated over to the competitors.

"Right now," The announcer continued. "Our trusty Botafly Medabots are giving each of our fifteen competitors a tracker. This is so we can all see where the Medabots are at within the Maze."

The picture on the big screen changed to an overhead map of the Maze. Several coloured dots were in a line along the edge of the map.

"Each Medabot gets a coloured dot." The announcer explained. "The dot will move around the map, and when any one of the dots encounters a trap, or another dot, cameras will be switched on in that area, to let you see all the action. The Medabots can't see this map from inside the Maze either! Only eight Medabots will advance to the next event! Now, let the event begin!"

The crowd exploded into applause, and the Botafly started to usher the competitors towards elevators that would take them to the lower level. Metabee followed their instructions, but Rokusho was being uncharacteristically stubborn.

"Please move towards the elevators." The Botafly said to him. "They shall take you to the bottom of the maze."

"Come on." Metabee called. "We'll be here all day if you don't move!"

Rokusho looked over at Metabee. The KBT type Medabot's optics widened. Rokusho's optics were green again.

"What the…?" was all Metabee had time to say, before Rokusho dropped off the edge of the floor, and fell down towards the bottom.

"What the heck was that!" The announcer exclaimed, leaning over the edge of his platform. "Did he fall off?"

Metabee shrugged, and bolted to the elevator.

"I have no idea what just happened, but let's turn on the cameras to see if he survives the fall!"

Everyone watched the screen.

- - -

As he fell swiftly towards the bottom, Rokusho didn't seem to have realised he was falling. But as he started to fall past the tall Maze walls, he seemed to wake up. He pushed against the wall, and sprung towards the wall on the other side of the corridor. He jumped back and forth between the walls of the Maze, until he flipped forward, landing softly on the Maze floor.

He looked up as the sounds of the roaring crowd above him echoed down through the cavernous Maze.

"That was NUTS!" The announcer shouted into the microphone. "Never, in all my years off being the announcer of this Contest, have I ever seen a Medabot fall from the floor of the arena to the floor of the Maze and survive! That was unbelievable!"

Rokusho quickly glanced around, looking for one of the cameras that the announcer had spoken off. He spotted one, and leaned towards it.

"I didn't fall." He said darkly. He spoke only quietly, but the camera's microphone picked up every syllable, and his dark voice echoed through the stadium above.

"Huh? You didn't?" The announcer said into the microphone, looking up at the screen in surprise. "You mean you jumped off?"

"I never fall." He said, tuning away from the camera to look at the elevators that were bringing the others down. "Never."

There was a loud scraping noise, and the picture on the big screen turned to static.

Down in the Maze, Rokusho held the busted up camera in one hand.

"I never fall." He said. "And that is something Cyandog must learn."

He clenched his fist, and the camera shattered into pieces.

- - -

Metabee dashed away from the other Medabots as fast as he could, disappearing into the Maze. He could hear Cyandog clinking behind him. He skidded to a halt, and spun around.

"Do you mind?" He shouted. "Quit following me!"

Cyandog laughed. "This event is a free-for-all, meaning we have to get out in any way we can. I'm going to follow you, so when you get out, so do I!"

"What if I don't manage to get out? Did you think of that?"

"What the heck…!" The announcer's voice echoed. "Rokusho's dot is shooting across the map like crazy! It's like he's going through the walls! And he's headed for Metabee and Cyandog!"

"Well, he's half right."

Metabee and Cyandog looked up. Rokusho was sitting on the top of the high walls. Metabee frowned. Most of Rokusho's armour had turned black, and his optics were still green.

"How in blazes did you get up there!" Cyandog shouted.

"Let's turn on the cameras!" Said the announcer.

The black version of Rokusho chuckled.

"What happened to you?" Metabee asked.

"Nothing has happened to me in the last 800 years. That's why its so much fun to be playing this little game."

The black Rokusho dropped down from the top of the wall and landed like a cat on the floor beside Metabee.

"Just another rival…" Cyandog growled, pointing his rifle at the black Rokusho.

The black Rokusho laughed again. "You are pathetic, not even worth my time. Your game ends now."

"Yaaaaah!" Cyandog fired at the black Rokusho with all his power…

…But then…

-Clink-

_"Function ceased!"_ said Cyandog's Medawatch.

His Medafighter looked down at the Medawatch on his wrist in shock. "Oh no!" He sobbed.

"Cyandog's out! Wow!" The announcer shouted into the microphone. "I didn't even see Rokusho move!"

Metabee looked at the Medabot who had appeared on the other side of Cyandog's inactive body. "Neither did I." He said sternly.

The black Rokusho snickered. "Ah, but I did. Just too fast for you to see."

Metabee frowned and looked around.

"He did shoot at you, didn't he?" He asked.

"Yes, he did. Why?"

Metabee looked up at the strange Medabot. "Shouldn't there be bullets everywhere?"

"Oh, you mean these?" He opened his hand, and there were several chrome bullets sitting in his palm.

"How the…"

Before Metabee could finish, the familiar sound of Medabot footsteps broke the relative silence of the Maze. He turned around, and saw most of the other Medabots in the event coming down the corridor.

"I don't believe it!" Laughed the announcer. "For the first time ever, almost every Medabot in the Maze has congregated in the same spot! This is phenomenal!"

"Well, well." The black Rokusho said in an amused voice. "What have we here?"

"We have a bone to pick with you Rokusho!" One of the Medabots said, pointing at the black and white Medabot.

"Me? What did I do?" He asked sarcastically.

"Perhaps you remember me." One of the Medabots said, pushing his way to the front. It was Chief, leader of the Veterans Club, with Greed by his side as always.

"Ah yes. I remember. So you recruited all the other competitors in an attempt to pay me back?"

"Not quite." Chief said dully. "The others are here by their own reasons. I'm not here to fight."

The black Rokusho turned his back to the group of Medabots. "Well then, you have nothing to do with me."

He started to walk away, down another path of the maze.

One of the Medabots, a Blackram, growled, and shot forward, slashing at the black Rokusho with the sharp claws attached to his arms. The black Rokusho sidestepped the attack, but Blackram's claws still tore through the cloak that hung from his shoulders. The shredded fabric fell off him, and he didn't even seem to care. The entire group watched as he whirled around to face Blackram.

Just then, Metabee spotted something lying on the ground, amongst the strips of torn fabric on the floor. He reached down and picked it up. It was a shimmering green stone.

"What's this?" He muttered.

The black Rokusho froze, inches away from pummelling Blackram's face flat, and looked up at Metabee with an expression of shock and horror.

"Give me that!" He shouted, making a grab for the stone, but falling short as his systems seemed to freeze up.

The other Medabots took a few steps away from him and Metabee, unsure of what was going to happen and what they should do.

The black Rokusho's body began to shake, and he put his hands on the sides of his head, like there was some loud noise blaring inside it that no one else could hear.

"Ahhh…!" He hissed, managing to move his head to look up at Metabee. "I'm… I'm not going back in there… Not again…"

Metabee blinked and took a step back in surprise as the colour on Rokusho's body started to fade back to normal.

"Give me that stone!" He yelled, making one last desperate grab for the stone, this time his fingers wrapping around it and tearing it out of Metabee's grip.

As his hand came in contact with the smooth green stone, it gave off several flashes of light.

"I'm getting out of here!" One of the Medabot's yelled, turning and running in the opposite direction.

"Hey, wait for me!" Another called, as he and the rest of the group followed suit, bolting down the corridor.

When Metabee could see again, Rokusho was sitting against the far wall, unconscious, or totally ceased function; he couldn't tell which. Wandering over, he saw the strange green stone was still clutched tightly in his hand.

Metabee reached over, and gently shook his friend. Slowly, the white Medabot woke up.

"M-metabee…" He whispered.

"Hi there."

"What… what happened?" He asked, looking up and around at the surrounding area, spotting his shredded cloak on the ground.

"I dunno… but whatever it was, it's powerful. It took Cyandog out like it was nothing, and the others ran off scared." Metabee paused, and glanced at the stone in Rokusho's hand. "Whatever it is… it think it's because of that."

Rokusho blinked in surprise, and looked down at the stone.

"This?"

"Yeah."

Metabee stood up and looked up at the hole in the cavern ceiling above them.

"We've hardly moved away from the start of the Maze; the others are probably miles away by now." He said as Rokusho pulled himself off the floor.

"It's always too early to give in. We can still find a way out." Rokusho said, turning to look down one of the corridors. "But how do we decide which way to turn?"

Metabee laughed. "We spin around real fast!" he said as he began to do just that. After a short while, he fell over. "We go that way!" He said through giggles, pointing in the direction that his body had fallen in.

"Sounds like a plan." Rokusho agreed, reaching down to help his friend to his feet.

- - -

"Well done!"

"Ahhh!"

Metabee jumped back in surprise, bumping into Rokusho as a Botafly appeared from around a corner.

"You two are the last two to progress!" She said sweetly.

"Huh?"

Metabee and Rokusho looked up, and saw six other Medabots, including the two Veterans, sitting on the floor behind her, gathered around a small flag that had been placed in the middle of the area that said EXIT in bold red letters.

"You mean 'this' is the exit for the Maze?" Metabee asked, looking around.

"Seems that way." Rokusho answered, also looking around.

"Just looks like more Maze to me."

"What is with you two?" Greed asked, standing up and walking over. "Haven't you ever seen this event before?"

They both shook their heads.

Greed laughed. "Well you see, in reality, this Maze has no exit. It can't, because it's so far underground. So what the event organisers do, is the pick a spot in the Maze, and that's classed as the 'exit'. They send some Botafly here to watch for competitors, and to lead us all back when it's over."

"Well it would have been nice for somebody to tell us BEFORE we came down here!" Metabee huffed.

Then something unexpected happened. Rokusho started laughing.

The other Medabots looked at him with surprise, Metabee especially. He had never heard Rokusho laugh before.

"What's so funny?" He asked, not angry about it in the slightest.

"Nothing." He said, looking at Metabee. "Nothing at all."

* * *

A/N: Yeah, it's freaky, with a freaky alter ego. Don't worry though. I promise that Rokusho comes out, realitivly unscathed at the end.


End file.
